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December
Brazilian Supreme Court justice mandates proof of vaccination to enter the country
Written by nuke
A member of the Rio de Paz NGO places white handkerchiefs that symbolize farewell, to pay tribute to Brazil's 600,000 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) victims, next the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil October 18, 2021. REUTERS/Adriano Machado -
Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Luis Roberto Barroso ruled on Saturday (Dec 11) that the country must demand proof of vaccination for visitors seeking to enter the country.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied requests of state health regulator Anvisa to demand vaccination proof from visitors.
But Barroso said in his decision that Brazil needs to avoid supporting what he called "antivaccine tourism."
The justice said the requirement for proof of vaccination can be waived only when the traveler comes from a country where no vaccines are available or the individual was prevented from vaccination due to health reasons.
The government has delayed for a week a regulation that would require non-vaccinated visitors to quarantine for five days, due to a hacker attack on the Health Ministry on Friday//CNA
December
Support for UK PM Johnson and party sinking amid scandals: Poll
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a news conference for the latest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) update in the Downing Street briefing room, in London, Britain December 8, 2021. Adrian Dennis/Pool via REUTERS -
Support for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ruling Conservative Party has plummeted after a series of scandals, with a majority of voters thinking he should now resign, according to a poll published on Saturday (Dec 11).
Johnson has found himself facing criticism on a number of fronts in recent weeks from the funding of the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat to a claim he intervened to ensure pets were evacuated from Kabul during the chaotic Western withdrawal in August.
The most damaging has been reports that a party was held at Downing Street during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned, with a video emerging this week which showed staff laughing and joking about it.
The Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper found support for the Conservatives, who have held solid leads in polls since winning a landslide victory in a 2019 election, had fallen four points to 32 per cent, while backing for the opposition Labour Party rose to 41 per cent, its biggest lead since 2014.
Johnson's personal ratings were also at their lowest point since the election, with his approval rating at -35 per cent, down 14 points from two weeks ago. The poll also showed that 57 per cent of voters thought he should resign, up from 48 per cent two weeks ago.
There has been growing talk of dissatisfaction with Johnson's leadership among Conservative lawmakers according to political commentators, and it is expected dozens will vote next week against his plan for new measures to combat the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
"The findings of our latest poll are certainly dramatic, with a devastating fall in both support for the Conservatives and approval for the prime minister," said Adam Drummond, Head of Political Polling at Opinium.
He cautioned that Johnson was the "king of comebacks" who had recovered from difficult polling situations before.
"However, unless the Conservatives can turn these numbers around quickly, backbenchers might start asking if the party is over for the prime minister," he said//CNA
December
Mass protest in Vienna against Austria's controversial COVID restrictions
Written by nuke
Demonstrators hold flags and placards as they march to protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restriction mandate in Vienna, Austria, December 11, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner -
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Vienna on Saturday (Dec 11) in protest against restrictions introduced to halt the spread of coronavirus in Austria, including mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and home confinement orders for the unvaccinated.
Around 1,400 police officers were on duty to oversee the protest, which attracted an estimated 44,000 people, and followed a similar demonstration in the Austrian capital last week.
Police said three people were arrested for offences including the use of fireworks and disregarding the requirement to wear masks. Journalists covering the event, which began in Heldenplatz square, were attacked with snow balls and ice, and one reporter was the victim of an attempted assault, police said.
The crowd was addressed by Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party, who attacked the government's response to the pandemic. He said the public had not realised they were being "kicked in the arse" by the government, and said the protests would continue.
Separately, around 2,500 protested against the restrictions in Klagenfurt, while 150 people demonstrated in Linz.
Faced with surging daily infections, Austria last month became the first country in Western Europe to reimpose a lockdown and said it would make vaccinations mandatory from February.
Banners saying "No to compulsory vaccination" and "Hands off our children" were carried by protesters in Vienna, who chanted "We are the people," and "resistance".
Austria, which has a population of 8.9 million people, has reported 1.2 million coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 deaths since the pandemic began last year//CNA
December
Palestinians vote in local elections amid rising anger with Abbas
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia November 23, 2021. Sputnik/Evgeny Biyatov/Kremlin via REUTERS -
Palestinians held municipal elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday (Dec 11) in a rare democratic exercise and amid rising anger with President Mahmoud Abbas after he cancelled planned legislative and presidential votes earlier this year.
More than 400,000 Palestinians were eligible to cast ballots for representatives in 154 village councils in the West Bank, where Abbas' Palestinian Authority has limited self-rule. Municipal votes are typically held every four or five years.
Municipal elections are not being held in Gaza, whose Islamist rulers Hamas are boycotting the vote amid a rift with Abbas' Fatah party. The 86-year-old president postponed municipal votes in major West Bank cities, such as Ramallah, that could have been seen as a referendum on Abbas' rule.
"These elections cannot be an alternative to legislative elections," said Ahmad Issa, 23, outside a polling station in the West Bank village of Bir Nabala, adding that a legislative vote could offer "a horizon for the youth" and lead to reforms.
In the village of Beit Kahil, women and men lined up outside a polling station, some in facemasks to protect against COVID-19. Once inside, they placed voting papers in envelopes and dropped them into ballot boxes, dipping their fingers in ink as they left in a move to prevent people voting twice.
Abbas, whose support has sagged in opinion polls, drew widespread anger in April when he cancelled https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-politics-election-idUSKBN189066 legislative and presidential elections scheduled for the summer, citing Israeli curbs on Palestinian voting in East Jerusalem.
Abbas' rivals, including Hamas, accused him of using the Jerusalem voting dispute as an excuse to cancel elections that polls showed he and his party would lose to the Islamist group. Abbas, who has ruled by decree for over a decade, denies this.
A spokesman for Hamas, which boycotted previous municipal elections in 2012 and 2017, said the group "refuses to participate in partial elections that are tailored to Fatah, and conducted by the Palestinian Authority," calling on Abbas to reschedule the cancelled summer votes.
Hamas has enjoyed a surge in popularity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since fighting an 11-day war with Israel in May. The group won student council elections this year at several top West Bank universities, an important barometer of support.
The Palestinians seek statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territory Israel captured in a 1967 war. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally, and peace talks between the two sides broke down in 2014.
Hamas won the Palestinians' last legislative election in 2006. That victory laid the ground for a political rupture. Hamas seized Gaza after fighting a short civil war there with Fatah in 2007 and has ruled the coastal enclave ever since//CNA
December
G7 ministers present united front against Russia over Ukraine crisis
Written by nuke
Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wearing face masks to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pose for a photograph before a bilateral meeting ahead of the G7 foreign ministers summit in Liverpool, Britain, Dec 10, 2021. (Photo: Olivier Douliery/Pool via REUTERS) -
The world's wealthiest democracies on Saturday (Dec 11) sought to present a united front against Russian aggression toward Ukraine as Britain hosted a meeting of foreign ministers in the northern English city of Liverpool.
The G7 meeting, attended in person by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, comes amid international concern that Russia could invade Ukraine. Russia denies planning any attack.
British foreign minister Liz Truss met Blinken on Friday night where they expressed deep concern about the build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine's border, the foreign office in London said in a statement.
Any incursion by Russia "would be a strategic mistake for which there would be serious consequences," it said.
"We need to defend ourselves against the growing threats from hostile actors and we need to come together strongly to stand up to aggressors who are seeking to limit the bounds of freedom and democracy," Truss told foreign ministers at the start of the meeting.
"To do this, we need to have a stronger united voice"
Ukraine is at the centre of a crisis in East-West relations as it accuses Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops in preparation for a possible large-scale military offensive.
Russia accuses Ukraine and the United States of destabilising behaviour, and has said it needs security guarantees for its own protection.
Washington is sending its top diplomat for Europe, Assistant Secretary Karen Donfried, to Ukraine and Russia on Dec 13 to Dec 15 to meet with senior government officials.
"Assistant Secretary Donfried will emphasise that we can make diplomatic progress on ending the conflict in the Donbas through implementation of the Minsk agreements in support of the Normandy Format," the US State Department said in a statement.
Ministers arrived at the Museum of Liverpool to a brass band playing Christmas carols, before convening the first formal meeting session which will look at geopolitical issues including nuclear talks with Iran and the military buildup in Iran.
The G7 meeting "is about a show of unity between like-minded major economies, that we are going to absolutely be strong in our stance against aggression, against aggression with respect to Ukraine," Truss told reporters ahead of the talks.
Britain, as current chair of the G7, is calling for its members to be more strident in their defence of what it calls "the free world".
Earlier this week, Truss said the "age of introspection" for the West was over and it needed to wake up to the dangers of rival ideologies. She has highlighted the economic risks of Europe's dependence on Russian gas and the wider security threat posed by Chinese technology as examples.
The G7 meeting is also expected to result in a joint call for Iran to moderate its nuclear programme and grasp the opportunity of ongoing talks in Vienna to revive a multilateral agreement on its nuclear development.
Both Truss and Blinken stressed the need for Iran to engage in the talks, according to the foreign office statement.
Germany, which takes over the rotating G7 leadership from Britain next year, is expected to set out its programme for 2022 at the meeting.
Ministers from the European Union, Australia, South Korea and India will take part in some sessions as guests of the G7, along with representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations//CNA
December
A storm ripped through a massive Amazon warehouse in the state of Illinois where about 100 workers were left trapped inside (Photo: AFP/Getty Images North America/Michael Thomas) -
At least 50 people were killed after tornadoes tore through the southeastern US state of Kentucky, its governor told reporters early Saturday (Dec 11), as several storms ravaged swathes of the country.
A number of counties in Kentucky were left devastated with the strongest tornado tearing through 320km of the state, Governor Andy Beshear said.
On the same night, a storm ripped through a massive Amazon warehouse in the state of Illinois where about 100 workers were left trapped inside, local media reported.
"I fear that there are more than 50 dead ... probably closer to somewhere between 70 and 100, it's devastating," Beshear said, adding that it was the "most severe tornado event in Kentucky's history".
In one incident, the roof of a candle factory collapsed, resulting in "mass casualties" in the city of Mayfield, the governor added.
Pictures and videos shared on social media from Mayfield showed buildings ripped apart by the storm, with bent metal, trees and dislodged bricks scattered across the streets and only the remnants of houses left behind.
Images of the tornadoes from US news channels showed a black cylinder sweeping across the ground, illuminated by intermittent blasts of lightning.
"Before midnight I declared a state of emergency," Beshear said.
He added that scores of search and rescue officials had been deployed to save lives as power outages continued to hit the area.
The tornado came as storms wreaked havoc in multiple US states.
Hundreds of officials were working through the early hours of Saturday to rescue employees at the Amazon warehouse - a third of which was reduced to rubble - who were on the night shift processing orders ahead of the Christmas holidays.
The Collinsville Emergency Management Agency described it as a "mass casualty incident" with "multiple subjects trapped at Amazon Warehouse".
A tornado warning had been in effect in the area at the time.
Footage shared across US news channels and social media of the Amazon warehouse in the city of Edwardsville showed a large part of the facility's roof ripped off, while one of the walls had collapsed into the building, with rubble strewn across the site.
Edwardsville police said in a statement there were "confirmed fatalities".
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said: "My prayers are with the people of Edwardsville tonight."
"Our Illinois State Police and Illinois Emergency Management Agency are both coordinating closely with local officials and I will continue to monitor the situation," he added.
In a statement sent to local media, Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said: "The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now. We're assessing the situation and will share additional information when it's available."
In Arkansas, one person was killed and 20 others were trapped after a tornado struck the Monette Manor nursing home, US media reported, with another person killed elsewhere in the state.
Craighead county official Marvin Day told local news channels that rescuers had successfully pulled out those trapped in the building and the structure was "pretty much destroyed".
In Tennessee, the severe weather killed at least three people, Dean Flener, spokesman for the state's Emergency Management Agency, said in comments reported by the Washington Post according to Reuters.
The storms caused a CSX company freight train to derail in western Kentucky, although it said no injuries were reported, the New York Times said, based on a Reuters report.
Bill Bunting, operations chief at the Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, said at least five states were hit by the tornadoes, naming them as Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas, the Times reported according to Reuters.
Scientists have warned that climate change is making storms more powerful and increasing their frequency, posing a growing threat to areas where extreme weather events are already common//CNA
December
Myanmar anti-coup activists protest against junta with 'silent strike'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Protesters in Myanmar closed businesses and stayed off the streets on Friday in a "silent strike" against rule by the military and its ousting of the Southeast Asian country's democratically elected government in a February coup.
Photos published by Myanmar media showed deserted streets and markets in towns across the country, while protesters in the northern city of Shwebo wore black clothes and marched in silence.
"We need to send a message to the world about Myanmar's terrible human rights violations," protest leader Khin Sandar told media.
"Silence is the loudest shout. We want our rights back. We want revolution. We express sadness for our fallen heroes," she said.
Myanmar was plunged into crisis when the military overthrew leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government on Feb. 1, triggering daily protests in towns and cities and fighting in borderlands between the military and ethnic minority insurgents.
Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, 76, is facing various charges and was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday on the first of them - incitement and breaching coronavirus regulations - drawing international condemnation of what critics described as a "sham trial". read more
The junta chief later reduced her sentence by two years on "grounds of humanity" but the charges she still faces could see her jailed for many years.
Junta forces seeking to crush opposition have killed more than 1,300 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.
Last Sunday, five people were killed and at least 15 arrested after soldiers used a car to crash through an anti-coup protest in the city of Yangon. Myanmar's state media has dismissed reports of the incident as disinformation.
Minn Khant Kyaw Linn, a student activist from the General Strikes Collaboration Body protest group said participation in the "silent strike" had been widespread.
"You can see how much people hate the junta," he said. (Reuters)
December
France draws ire in Pacific islands as New Caledonia referendum goes ahead
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Caledonia is pushing ahead with a referendum on independence from France this weekend, despite concerns that a boycott by pro-independence parties who oppose holding the poll amid the coronavirus pandemic risks an outbreak of violence.
France's decision to hold the last of a series of three votes on Sunday, against the wishes of indigenous Kanaks, has drawn condemnation in neighbouring Pacific islands where sensitivities over colonization are high.
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), comprised of Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the major New Caledonian independence party, has called on Pacific island countries not to recognise the result.
The Noumea Accord of 1998, which set out a path for potential independence, agreed three referendums to determine the future of the country. L4N2SV0P2
With the two previous polls, in 2018 and 2020, resulting in a narrowing of the "No" vote from 57% to 53%, Sunday's vote presents the last opportunity for the "Yes" campaign to achieve a simple majority.
Pro-independence groups have accused France of refusing to delay the vote until later in 2022, as allowed under the Accord, to reduce the chance of a "Yes" vote and to placate nationalists ahead of a French presidential election early next year.
Kanak leaders say the pandemic has prevented door-to-door campaigning in villages. They also want to allow for traditional mourning periods - about 300 people, mostly Kanak, have died of COVID-19 since September in a population of around 270,000.
New Caledonia's congress president, Roch Wamytan, a pro-independence leader who signed the peace accord, raised concerns on Thursday at a United Nations committee on decolonization.
Former secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Meg Taylor, wrote with the former leaders of Tuvalu, Kiribati, Palau and the Marshall Islands to French president Emmanuel Macron on Nov. 23, warning of potential violence if the poll went ahead.
Election observers from the United Nations and Pacific Islands Forum have arrived in the capital Noumea, as have 2,000 police from France to maintain order.
The Noumea Accord itself was agreed to help end a decade of conflict that resulted in 80 deaths.
George Hoa’au, the acting director-general of the Melanesian group, said the French were "not good at anti-colonisation."
"They are not good at establishing egalitarian relations with former colonies," Hoa'au told Reuters in a telehone interview. "We must not allow this type of engagement with indigenous people in the 21st century."
Taylor told Reuters that decolonization was a priority for Pacific island nations: "Will it be a legitimate process when people don't attend?"
A spokesman for France's Overseas Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, who is en-route to New Caledonia, said the incidence rate of COVID-19 had been "trending positively for one month."
"We are aware that the date of 12 December is not consensual ... but it is the duty of the State to set it," he said.
INDOPACIFIC FOCUS
Lecornu's spokesman said France would "draw conclusions from this non-participation, which is a very strong message sent by the pro-independence supporters, but this non-participation will not override or cancel the result of the three referendums".
Lecornu has said his office would seek dialogue with all parties the day after the referendum.
However, the leader of New Caledonia's Rassemblement party and former president, Thierry Santa, has said such dialogue is unlikely until after the French presidential election. Santa linked France's decision with renewed attention in Paris on the IndoPacific, and anger that Australia dumped a major French submarine contract. read more
"It's absolutely certain that the ripping up of the submarine contract by Australia and the United States has influenced France's attitude towards New Caledonia," Santa, whose party is anti-independence, told Islandsbusiness.com. (Reuters)
December
Japan detects eight new Omicron infections, bringing total to 12
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan has found eight new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, a government spokesperson said on Friday, bringing its total to 12.
All the cases have been found during testing of arrivals at airports. Two of the new cases were close contacts of the first case, a diplomat from Namibia.
Spokesperson Seiji Kihara declined to give further details on the eight passengers, but Nippon Television reported that they were traveling from the United States and parts of Africa.
Japan has banned new foreign entrants to try to keep out Omicron, believed to be the most contagious variant of the new coronavirus so far. (Reuters)
December
Germany promises to take in 25,000 Afghans - EU document
Written by Nur Yasmin
Germany has pledged to admit 25,000 Afghans deemed most at risk following the Taliban takeover in Kabul from about 40,000 such people that European Union states are to accept, according to a letter by a senior EU official.
Germany had a record number of almost 900,000 people seeking refuge on its soil in 2015, most of them coming from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a letter dated Dec. 9 and seen by Reuters on Friday, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson called on member states to make good on all their resettlement promises by the end of 2022.
"Vulnerable people and refugees at risk are awaiting their departure to start a new life in safety and dignity," she said.
As well as the 25,000 refugees that Germany will take in, the Netherlands agreed to admit more than 3,100 Afghans whose life and safety is now seen most at risk. France and Spain will take in 2,500 people, followed by 2,000 who will head to Sweden, according to the document.
Western countries evacuated more than 120,000 Afghans in a hastily arranged airlift in August as the Taliban took over Kabul, bringing a two-decades long U.S.-led military mission to the country to a chaotic end.
But Western troops left behind tens of thousands of Afghans who had advocated for human and women's rights, or worked as journalists or for the former government and are now worry about their fate under the Taliban rule. (Reuters)